Charles Wigg

Charles Wigg (c. 1824 – 18 July 1899) was an English manufacturer of chemicals in Runcorn, Cheshire, England.

At first the works manufactured soap and alkali, but soon moved to extracting copper from pyrites ash, and later making bleaching powder and ferric oxide.

Charles Wigg retired from the business shortly after it was taken over by the United Alkali Company and died eight years later.

[1] On 29 April 1847 Charles married Georgiana Bird Burrell in St Michael's Church, Aigburth, when he was described as being a merchant.

When John & Thomas Johnson, brothers and soap manufacturers from Runcorn, established an office in Liverpool in 1859, they appointed Wigg as the export agent for their trade with America.

[2] His younger brother, George, was a financial agent for the Confederate Government during the American Civil War.

[3] Possibly through this connection, the Johnson brothers attempted to run the Union blockade to supply materials to the Confederates.

[7] Wigg was joined in the enterprise by Neil Mathieson, who had been the works manager for the Johnsons' business.

[10] In 1873 Mathieson was named in an action by Sir Richard Brooke of Norton Priory for "damage to his trees and pastures form noxious emissions".

He was Wigg's son-in-law, having married his eldest daughter, Adelaide Sherriff, the previous year.

Frederick William died in 1880, and was replaced as partner by Charles' younger son, Walter John.

[15] Wigg was involved more widely in the chemical industry, including overseeing changes at an alkali factory at Weston Point.